Connecting bailkoad-eails



FTQ.

M. J. WALDRON, OF DUNKIRK, NEW YORK.

CONNECTING RAILROAD-RAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,097, dated August 3, 1858.

To all @07mm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, MICHL. J. YVALDRON, of Dunkirk, in the county ofChautauqua and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Connecting the Ends of Rails for Railways; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full and eXact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to theletters and marks thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a View of myimprovement shown as connectingthe ends of two rails. Fig. 2 is a view of the ends of the rails, oneside of the chair having been removed in order to show the notch orrecess in the ends of the rails and the bolt passing through the recess;and Fig. 3, is a view of a bolt, washer, and nut designed as asubstitute for the bolt and key shown by the other figures.

In each of the figures, (a) indicates the rails, (b) the chair, (c) theprolongation of the chair, (CZ) the sides of the chair embracing theends of the rails, (e) the bolt, (f) the recess in the ends of therails, (g) the key of the bolt, (la) the washer, the nut, the ties, and(Z) the spikes.

In laying down rails for railroads it is usual to confine the ends ofthe rails in the chair and to secure the chair to the tie. Experiencehas shown that certain evils result from this course, of which thesettling or sinking of the ends of the rails or the joint, and thebattering and breaking of the ends are among the more important andexpensive.

My invention is designed to remedy these evils, and it consists in soplacing the ends of the rails within a suitably constructed chair thatneither of the ends shall be over a tie and that the ends of both railsshall be between ties; and in so arranging the means for securing theends of the rails within the chair that there shall be suiiicient playto allow the elasticity or spring of the ends of the rails and chair tobe available.

lapped against the rail. The chair bearing on two ties and lapping therail makes a joint of the rails almost as strong as a whole rail andsaves t-he ends of the rails or joints from settling or sinking lowerthan the centers of the rails, and also saves the ends of the rails frombeing battered by concussion, as there is always spring or elasticityenough in the chair to yield when the weight is on it and to spring backwhen the weight is olf to its original level; and thus making acontinuous rail wit-hout any danger of the rails breaking near the endfor want of strength or in frosty weather, as they frequently do. I lapthe plate snugly to the joint, the weakest part of the track, andcombining the strength of both rail and chair where most required andextending the plate to cover the tie each side, I thereby make a perfectsplice and prevent all the dangers and loss attending the old system ofjoint or rail coupling.

The slot or recess cut out of the end of each rail is intended to belarger than the bolt, so that when the rails are closely jointed they donot press on the bolt; the bolt being only intended to keep the jaws orlapped part of the chair snug to the rail and to keep the rail frommoving endwise. It also prevents all vertical and lateral motion of therails, and by laying the track with the bolt in the recessed endssufficient room or space is left for expansion. The chair being 25inches long, there will be 9 inches turned up or lapped around the railand 8 inches on each end to bear on the ties. The ties can be laid sixinches apart, allowing 1% inches of the lapped part of the chair to bearon each tie, thus making the joint fully strong enough for all practicalpurposes. I-Iaving so long and strong a bearing when the trains aremoving over it, the ends of the rails are made to bear the weight alike,and made, as it were, a whole rail. The jaws or lapped portion of thechair can be tightened upon the rail either by the wedgekey or by thenut and washer as the one or the other may be used. Instead of the onebolt only being used an additional bolt may be placed on either side ofit, a slot being made in the rails for the passage and play ofthe bolts.

By my improvement the ends of the rails will not iiatten or batter, asis the case wit-h cast and wrought iron chairs, where both ends of therails in the chair meet on a tie,

as the tie must be tamped solid to hold the great weight that passesover it, and when solid it does not yield to the weight moving l overit. I dispense with the joint tie. Consequently I can lay the track withone tie less to a rail, thus making a saving of 200 tiesto a mile andfour spikes to every joint or 800 to a mile. The track is not liable toget out of line, as the top and sides of the rails are always smooth andeven and the flange of the wheels meet no obstruction. The projectioninward of one rail more than another of an inch, when the trains arerunning fast, would cause the flange to strike hard against suchprojection and jolt the wheel with great force against the rail on theopposite side of the track, thus putting the track out of line andshape. This my improvement will completely prevent.

Having thus described the construction and set out the advantages of myimprovement, what I claim as of my invention and desire to secure byLetters Patent is l. Placing the ends of the rails in a suitablyconstructed chair between two ties, both of the ties being used as abearing or supporting surface to the chair, substantially as described.

2. I claim the bolt in the enlarged recess in the ends of the rails andthe jaws or lapped part of the chairs as an arrangement of means forforming an elastic or spring joint for the ends of the rails, as hereinset forth.

Signed at Dunkirk Chautauqua county New York this 10th day of June,1858.

MICI-IL. J. VALDRON.

Witnesses:

O. F. DICKINsoN, W. L. BRUNDAGE.

